You do not have to be a committed viewer of every shot and cough of the ATP tour to know what Kevin Anderson’s major weapon is: the briefest glance at his 6ft 8in frame will suffice. His huge serve thuds and skids and kicks, tests the patience of every opponent, and earns him mounds of free points.

But as Andy Murray – whom Anderson is due to play on Monday – knows from personal experience there is more to the 28-year-old’s game than raw power. He is not merely John Isner or Ivo Karlovic Mk II; he can move and return too.

“He doesn’t serve as big as Isner or Karlovic but he is probably better from the back of the court,” said Murray, who split the two matches he has played against Anderson. “He has a better return game too. There might be more chances to break but equally he will return better and make more balls when you are serving.

“I would also say he is more mobile than Karlovic. Isner and Kevin both move well on the hard courts and I have played them both. But most of the big guys who play from the back of the court are pretty good movers.”

Anderson has also practised with Ivan Lendl in Florida, where he now lives, but Murray is not concerned that his former coach has spilled any secrets. “Ivan loves playing tennis, he hits balls all the time when he is over in Miami. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.”

In Anderson’s first two rounds at Wimbledon he hit 47 aces. However against the Italian Fabio Fognini he hit only 16 and admitted that he suffered from nerves and a back injury.

“I just got a little stiff and it affected the serve right from warming up,” he said. “So I was a little bit nervous. The more nervous I got the worse the back felt.”

That should be a worry for Anderson, who is hoping to be the first South African to reach the last 16 since Wayne Ferreira in 2000. However, he believes playing a big name will stop him getting so twitchy. “It’s one of those things where I think there will be more pressure on him than there is on me, so I can just sort of relax a little bit. I’ve practised with him a few times, and I know some of the guys on his team quite well.

“Obviously there’s a huge difference from a practice set in Miami to Centre Court at Wimbledon but I’m definitely going to be very excited.”